India approves three new airlines

India has approved three new airlines to start operations, weeks after widespread flight cancelations left thousands stranded in airports across the country.

On Tuesday, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said in a social media post that the new airlines will encourage ‍more competition in the domestic market.

“Over the last one week, pleased to have met teams from new airlines aspiring to take wings in Indian skies – Shankh Air, Al Hind Air, and FlyExpress,” Naidu said in the post.

“While Shankh Air has already got the NOC [no objection certificate] from Ministry, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress have received their NOCs in this week,” he said.

 Earlier this month, flight disruptions left thousands of passengers stranded in the country’s airports after India’s largest airline, IndiGo, failed to cope with Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) that came into effect on November 1.

Speaking at the time, Naidu told the Indian parliament that the disruption at IndiGo was the result of “internal lapses” at the airline, mainly due to crew-rostering failures and poor planning. “We are not taking this situation lightly. We will take strict action… We will set an example for every airline,” he stated.

India’s civil aviation regulator has also warned the airline of strict action.
IndiGo has a 60% domestic market share and operates more than 2,000 flights a day.

READ MORE: Indi-no-go: What brought the world’s third-largest aviation market to a standstill?

The disruptions also triggered a steep hike in airfares across India.

Air travel peaks in December in India during the wedding season and as school holidays begin.

Of the 174.1 million air passengers in India in 2024, more than 136.1 million flew domestically, data released in June by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) revealed. The market share of domestic traffic has risen from around 72.9% a decade ago to almost 78.2%, reflecting the substantial network expansion, the IATA said.